Constraints perceived by beneficiary and non-beneficiary dairy farmers of Punjab in access of livestock technology transfer services of University

Introduction

Livestock sector plays an important role in Indian economy. India is a leading country in the livestock population with 535.78 million of total livestock population. (20 th Livestock Census, DAHDF, 2019) [1] . Livestock farming is an ancient occupation in Punjab. Punjab has 25.31 lakh cows and 40.16 lakh buffaloes. Livestock farming is an age-old occupation in Punjab. It is renowned for its agricultural potential and is referred to as India's "Bread Basket" (Swaminathan & Bhavani, 2013) [4] . The livestock industry has offered significant employment opportunities, both part-time and full-time, to farmers and households on a large scale within the state (Singh et al., 2016) [3] . Punjab produces a total of 14.30 million tons of milk annually, with a per capita milk availability of 1,283 grams per day (20 th Livestock Census -2019, Punjab) [1] . The provision of livestock services is becoming increasingly crucial in improving and streamlining livestock production and management (Verma et al., 2022) [6] . Recent advancements in animal husbandry have heightened the need for diverse services such as animal breeding, healthcare, feed production, marketing, and extension services, among others (Verma, 2021) [5] . Among them, livestock extension services hold significant importance as they empower farmers by imparting them with relevant technological knowledge and skills through various educational and training programs (Rathod et al., 2012) [2] . Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) was established at Ludhiana in 2006 for promoting livestock production, health and prevention of the diseases by integrated approach through teaching, research and extension programs at its main campus and their various outreach centers in the state. The University has initiated various livestock based technological services to disseminate knowledge and transfer technologies to end-users. However, despite these efforts, farmers encountered certain challenges or constraints in utilizing these services. To identify the constraints faced by both beneficiaries and nonbeneficiaries dairy farmers in accessing livestock based technological services, the present study was undertaken.

Research methodology

The present study was conducted in selected districts of Punjab. Six districts of Punjab viz; Bathinda, SAS Nagar, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Barnala, and Ludhiana will be purposely selected on the basis of presence of existing operational extension base of GADVASU in the form of Colleges, KVKs and Regional Research Training Centers (RRTCs). Two blocks from each district and four villages (02 adopted and 02 non-adopted villages by university or its outreach centers) from each block were selected randomly. Two blocks were selected from each district. Therefore, from six districts, total twelve (12) blocks were selected randomly for the study purpose. From each selected block, four villages (02 adopted and 02 non-adopted villages by university or its outreach centers) i.e., total 48 villages were selected. From each selected village 10 dairy farmers having atleast 2-3 milch dairy animals and minimum five years of experience in dairy farming were selected randomly as respondents for data collection. Thus, 240 beneficiary dairy farmers (from adopted villages) and 240 non-beneficiary dairy farmers (from nonadopted villages) were selected randomly. Thus, the total 480 respondents will be selected for present study. The data was collected from the selected farmers by interacting with them through well-structured interview schedule Garrett's ranking technique was used to rank the constraints based on their mean score. As per Garrett's ranking technique, the respondents were asked to enumerate and assign ranks to different problems, which were used for prioritization of constraints. The orders of merit as given by the respondents were converted into ranks, by using the following formula: Percent position = [100 (R ij -0.50)] / N j Where, Rij = Rank given for ith problem by jth individual. Nj = Number of problems ranked by the jth individual. The percent position of each rank was then converted into scores using Garrett's table. The scores of individual respondents for a particular problem were added and divided by the total number of respondents. These mean scores for all problems were then sorted in descending order, and ranks were assigned accordingly to prioritize the constraints.

Results

Constraints perceived by beneficiaries a) Technical constraints

The results presented in the table 1 revealed that, "Use of University ICT services by illiterate/ less educated farmers is challenging" (Mean score: 75.06) was faced as most important constraint and ranked first by respondents. While, "It is difficult to understand too much information provided by training programmes of the university in short period" (Mean score: 66.26); "Difficult to locate University specific ICT tools because there are so many different ICT tools available online" (Mean score: 64.63); "Non -availability or irregular services on time" (Mean score: 56.73); "Poor internet connectivity restrict the activity of University ICT services" (Mean score: 49.31) and "University ICT services are unable to provide regional specific information" (Mean score: 40.31); were ranked 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , and 5 th most important constraints as faced by the beneficiaries. The other constraints includes, "Improper communication and poor extension contacts" (Mean score: 44.88); "Irregular availability of Vigyanak Pashu Palan Magazine at village level" (Mean score: 42.63); "Inadequate staff for regular follow ups after trainings/ Follow up is poor" (Mean score: 39.05) and "Entertainment programme organized during the University Pashu Palan Mela provides hinderance for interaction" (Mean score: 37.52); were ranked as 6 th , 7 th , 8 th and 9 th constraints by the beneficiaries on the basis of their mean score among the various constraints, respectively. important constraint whereas, "Low economic gain compared to current practices" (Mean score: 43.67) was ranked least important constraints among the others economic constraints.

(Table 3) and "Lack of audio-visual aids at field level for educating the respondents in various extension programs" (Mean score: 29.33) were the 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th , 6 th , 7 th , 8 th and 9 th other important constraints perceived by non-beneficiaries, respectively (Table 7).

Conclusion

The current study found that less education of the respondents, lack of direct contact with the University, poor accessibility to technological services, difficulty in understanding the vast amount of information provided by the University's training programs in a short period, etc. were the major constraints perceived by respondents. To overcome these constraints, there is need to organize more in-field extension activities such as training programs, awareness camps, regional melas etc. Engage local leaders, progressive farmers in spreading awareness, as they hold influence and trust in rural areas. Also, there is need to adopt more and more villages.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementVice chancellor, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal

References

1. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. 20th Livestock Census. New Delhi: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; 2019.
2. Rathod P, Nikam TR, Landge S, Hatey A. Farmers' perception towards livestock extension service: A case study. AGE. 2012;22:33-37.
3. Singh D, Lal N, Khode NV, Yadav R. Constraints faced by livestock owners in adoption of animal husbandry practices in KVK adopted and non-adopted villages in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. J Krishi Vigyan. 2016;5(1):10-13.
4. Swaminathan MS, Bhavani RV. Food production and availability: essential prerequisites for sustainable food security. Indian J Med Res. 2013;138(3):383-391.
5. Verma K. Study on self-medication practices in periurban dairy farms of Punjab. Ludhiana (India): Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University; 2021.
6. Verma K, Kansal SK, Singh J. Rational self-medication practices among dairy farmers: an exploratory study. Ruminant Sci. 2022;11(2):387-392.